Arizonans Better Protected from Surprise Medical Bills after Kelly-Backed Law Goes Into Effect

Statement

Arizonans are now better protected from surprise out-of-network medical bills after the No Surprises Act, a federal law backed by Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, went into effect starting on January 1, 2022. Kelly voted for this legislation as part of the DECEMBER 2020 government funding bill.

"Health care costs too much, and a big reason why is that too many families have received unexpected, out-of-network medical bills after receiving care. This new law protects Arizona patients from being burdened with costly surprise medical bills simply for seeking the emergency care they need," said Kelly.

The Kelly-backed law protects consumers from surprise medical bills and applies to nearly all private health plans offered by employers and covers most out-of-network emergency services, post-emergency stabilization services, and non-emergency services provided by an out-of-network provider at an in-network facility. Patients can only be required to pay in-network costs for these services. The law also prohibits "balance billing" which would leave patients on the hook for covering the difference between the provider's charge and what insurance covers.

If patients receive a higher bill for these covered services, they should immediately contact the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at 1-800-985-3059. For more information, visit HTTPS://WWW.CMS.GOV/NOSURPRISES/CONSUMERS.

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